Belgium assists Ninh Thuan in river basin management

Ninh Thuan (VNA) – The south central province of
Ninh Thuan on March 22 kicked off a Belgian-funded project on improving the
river basin management capacity in the context of climate change (PIM).

The project aims to enhance the management of
water resources in Dinh River basin, thus contributing to the local economy’s
sustainable development amid climate change.

Belgium provides 1 million EUR, while the
Vietnamese Government disburses 100,000 EUR for the project, which will be
carried out through June 2019.

In recent years, the Belgian Government has
provided non-refundable aid for drought-prone Ninh Thuan province to implement water
resources-related projects. These projects have substantially contributed to
the local economy, improving living standards for locals, and protecting the
environment.

Speaking at the workshop to launch the PIM
project, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Luu Xuan Vinh highly evaluated
the Belgian Development Agency’s assistance to climate change response and
disaster mitigation programmes in Vietnam, including those on building the
water sector’s capacity in Ninh Thuan.

He hoped that the Belgian ambassador to Vietnam
as well as ministries and agencies will continue helping to enhance the
province’s water resources management capacity and raise public awareness of
this issue.

Belgian Ambassador Jehanne Roccas said since
2005, Ninh Thuan has been one of the Vietnamese localities that have received
the Belgian Development Agency’s support in irrigation, water resources
management and climate change adaptation. She also expected improvements
in the targeted areas and local authorities’ effective cooperation in implementing
the project.-VNA